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Becoming Jo

﻿Becki Visker (’12) loves the idea of being someone else — on stage, that is. Since her initial theatre debut in second grade, she has stepped into the role of 13 different characters. However, Visker does much more than acting when on stage; she also sings and dances.

With more than five years of vocal training and eight years of dance lessons under her belt, she couldn’t be more excited about Bethel’s upcoming spring musical, “Little Women.” The show portrays the relational changes within the famous March family, as well as the hurdles they triumphantly overcome during the Civil War.

After reading through the show multiple times, Visker auditioned and, with the help of her many talents, landed the lead role of Josephine “Jo” March. As a spunky 15-year-old tomboy, Jo struggles with the social norm of being a domesticated woman, unlike her three sisters. She is a driven individual who refuses to forfeit her dreams and passions for any reason — one of the many commonalities Visker shares with her character.

Visker (top right) poses with the cast of "Little Women."

“She thinks that the rules and regulations of her time regarding women are restricting and disgusting,” explains Visker. “She is not willing to settle for anything that would be the ‘social norm.’ And Jo inspires me to do the same.”

Becoming Jo is no small task for Visker to accomplish. With rehearsals every day from now until opening night, she will have to memorize lines, songs and dances. But none of that compares to Visker’s undertaking of developing the many dimensions of Jo’s often unladylike personality.

Despite Jo’s eight costume changes, awkward “lip-locks” with multiple characters and a drastic change of appearance during the show, Visker has fallen in love with telling her story. Her favorite thing about being an actress is shedding light on controversial issues in society; just one more thing she shares in common with her character.

Visker’s favorite line in the play reflects just that: “We don’t live for society. We live for what we have inside of us. We live to expand our minds. Fulfill our dreams.”